4 Common File Types and Extensions to Improve Your Website

by Patrick Watt  |  Guest Contributor  |  Digital Marketing   |   Business   ​

Photo by Ilya Pavlov on Unsplash

In web development, naming of files and allocating file extensions enable the servers to read, indicate, and make data accessible. There are various forms of web files. The most common types of web files for a website include:

• Images
• Video
• Web pages
• Web scripts ​

---

The types of web files that you choose to improve your website will depend on the target audience and how you intend to use the files. The file types and extensions used on your website will affect file fetching performance on the servers.

1.  Images
Web images come in different formats for you to choose from. JPEG, PNG, SVG, and GIF are some of the image file formats that offer lossless compression. This means that it is easier to shrink the images without losing vital data.

JPEG format is more common on websites due to its flexibility in compression. JPEG images are shrunk to small sizes without affecting the web-page speed.

SVG file formats are based on mathematical formulas, unlike the others that use pixels. SVG enables the creation of full-resolution images on your website. SVG format allows users on your website to zoom on your images without affecting the resolution.

PNG image formats allow lossless compression of texts and graphics apart from images. PNG format provides a transparent background for your company logo.

GIFS allows animation of images and holds both texts and pictures. Also, GIFS might not be such a bad idea for a company logo on your website.

2.  Web Pages
You may want to include other relevant sources on your website. Using web pages allocates users access to links on your page. The extensions used to enable servers to read your web pages are .html or .htm. The extension .html allows the server to recognize HTML language used to write your website. These extensions are used across multiple servers and recognized by most operating systems.

3.  Web Scripts
Web scripts allow dynamic action on the web page. These web scripts will enable the user to quickly carry out tasks on the website. You can also use open-source software for web scripts development, for example, convert HTML to PDF using itextsharp library.

Conversely, macros allow the automation of specific tasks on the website, such as copying information using key combinations on the mouse and keyboard. Firstly, JavaScript denoted as .js, facilitates macros and scripting on a website. Secondly, the. SHTM and .SHTML extensions allow the inclusion of other web pages into your website alongside adding macros. Thirdly, the Active Server Page (.ASP) extension provides scripting on your web pages and facilitates database connectivity. Another similar extension to .html on web pages is the .php extensions, .php extension also allows scripting and macros on your website.

4.  Videos
There are various extensions that you can use for videos on your website including MP4, MOV, WMV, FLV, and AVI.

MP4 is considered a universal video format since it’s supported across many devices. Videos in MP4 format will play on phones, laptops, and desktop computers. This extension maintains quality after compression. This file format stores video, audio, text, and image files.

MOV is a video format used to store image, video, sound, and text files. This file format is designed for QuickTime Player for apple, although it is also compatible with Windows.

WMV is a video file extension for Windows Media Player and is efficient for users running the Windows operating system. This video file format is designed for Adobe Flash Videos. It is popularly used across various web browsers and online video platforms. This video format is favourable if your target audience uses platforms like YouTube or Google to play the videos.

FLV videos are small in size and provide efficiency in downloading the videos.

AVI video format is extensive and allows storage on computers by users instead of streaming the videos online.

About the author:

Patrick Watt is a content writer, writing in several areas, primarily in business growth, value creation, M&A, and finance. Other interests also include content marketing and self-development. Say hi to Patrick on Twitter @patrickwattpat.

---